Music staff twister with a floor staff (example- right hand on G, Left foot A)
We drill notes with partners and flashcards- one kid quizzes the other with flashcards and they try to beat each other's time and number correct
Buzz is fun. The kids line up in two lines and after I say "GO!" the first one to say BUZZ! Gets to tell me what note is on the flashcard. This way the kids that aren't as fast to name the notes get a chance.
Apron Game At AOSA conference a few years back I bought an apron with 5 velcro lines on it that made a staff. I put on the apron and the kids get 2 ping pong balls with Velcro on it. They throw them at me and have to name the note. This was a blast- especially when I was pregnant and they had a bigger target!
Note relay
Cut out construction paper circles and label them with the note names. Then, divide the students into teams (my staff is very long). The teams divide the notes amongst themselves. Then, one at a time, they have to run down and place their note on the correct place. I do not allow doubles (e.g. the two D circles cannot be placed on the same D). If a student needs help, they can go back to their team to discuss. For the second round, the students must place their notes upsidedown. This makes it trickier if someone placed their note on the wrong spot. If this happens, they may look for the wrong note (only flipping over one at a time). This also prevents them from just looking at the alphabet order of the notes.
Bean bag toss
Divide into groups. This is more individual success than winning (although you can do it as a first-one-to-answer game). One person from the group tosses the bean bag, and the next person in line has to answer where it landed. Then, the answerer becomes the tosser, and the line rotates. There can be as many groups as you have staff space. When I do it as a competition, I use a little stuffed whale (no significance, it just fulfilled my need) that tends to bounce around a little, so I do not always know where it will land, which adds a little element of suspense.
Hand Staff - use your hand to learn the notes on the treble staff
Flash Card Games
Apron Game
At AOSA conference a few years back I bought an apron with 5 velcro lines on it that made a staff. I put on the apron and the kids get 2 ping pong balls
with Velcro on it. They throw them at me and have to name the note. This was a blast- especially when I was pregnant and they had a bigger target!
Note relay
Cut out construction paper circles and label them with the note names. Then, divide the students into teams (my staff is very long). The teams divide the notes amongst themselves. Then, one at a time, they have to run down and place their note on the correct place. I do not allow doubles (e.g. the two D circles cannot be placed on the same D). If a student needs help, they can go back to their team to discuss. For the second round, the students must place their notes upsidedown. This makes it trickier if someone placed their note on the wrong spot. If this happens, they may look for the wrong note (only flipping over one at a time). This also prevents them from just looking at the alphabet order of the notes.Bean bag toss
Divide into groups. This is more individual success than winning (although you can do it as a first-one-to-answer game). One person from the group tosses the bean bag, and the next person in line has to answer where it landed. Then, the answerer becomes the tosser, and the line rotates. There can be as many groups as you have staff space. When I do it as a competition, I use a little stuffed whale (no significance, it just fulfilled my need) that tends to bounce around a little, so I do not always know where it will land, which adds a little element of suspense.Hand Staff - use your hand to learn the notes on the treble staff